Getting together with friends and family is tradition for many during the holiday season. With the holidays quickly approaching, now is the time to start preparing for your holiday party! Keep reading to learn the latest decorating trends and tips this holiday season. From D.I.Y. custom card holders to show-stopping centerpieces, these festive decor items will wow your guests!

Christmas is just a few short weeks away. Have you found gifts for everyone on your list? Your local florist has exactly what you need, even for that family member you struggle to please.

This holiday, give the gift of flowers!

Flowers Are For Everybody

What gift do you buy the person who has everything? It’s a question that plagues us all during the Christmas season, but the answer is easier than you think. It’s flowers, of course!

A magnificent floral arrangement has its own style, so you never have to wonder if it will suit the person you’re giving them to. They are also a source of happiness for anyone who receives them, and that’s always a win in the gift-giving department. And do you think it’s possible to have too many of them beautifying the home? Of course not! If they already have beautiful flowers, that’s okay. They’d love more!

Loving Local

Of course, the best place to buy those flowers is through your local florist. These men and women work hard to provide you with something gorgeous designed to take your breath away and that anyone on your list would be thrilled to receive. And the best part? You can speak to them face-to-face so you know you’re getting exactly what you ask for!

Christmas is the largest gift giving holiday in the world. Shouldn’t you be giving flowers?

Today we enjoyed a wonderful lunch together for our annual Flower Shop Network Christmas Party. The food was great, the company was better and the homemade desserts were to die for! To keep things interesting, we also held an Ugly Sweater Contest. I’ve never seen so many people wearing working lights! Take a moment to peruse through this photo tour of the FSN festivities and Happy Holidays!

Ugly Sweater Contest

To help everyone get into the Christmas spirit, we also held an Ugly Sweater Contest. And let me tell you, folks, our people didn’t disappoint. These are some UGLY sweaters.

Giving Gifts

Did you think that was all? Not quite yet. Brock and Loranne decided to hand out some Christmas gifts and everybody got a little something.

And yet the giving wasn’t done yet …

Here’s a load of food that the employees of Flower Shop Network donated to the food drive for local schools!

Happy Holidays from FSN!

Today was our annual Christmas celebration and our first ever UglyFestive Sweater Day! We had everything from jingle bells, to ornaments to even lights! It was so much fun seeing everyone with so much holiday spirit!

By now you’ve probably got all of your Christmas decor up, shopping mostly done, and are looking forward to the last of the holiday parties. Have you gotten a hostess gift yet? If not, your florist has you covered! Skip the busy mall and visit your local flower shop for the best selection of holiday flowers and gifts.Think flowers are a bit old fashioned? Think again!! Contemporary Christmas floral styles are incredible and will have your hostess’ jaw on the floor!

From traditional red and green, to bright and colorful, your florist can do it all! Going to a themed Christmas party, or know the specifics of your hostess’s decor? It’s not to late to order something completely custom! (But you better hurry)

Need a last-minute gift for the person who has everything? Flowers of course! Order now and your florist will take care of all the hard work for you! Your beautiful Christmas arrangement will be delivered right to their door. No wrapping, on time and hassle free — what could be better than that!?

Just check out these DAZZLING styles:

Flower Shop Network is dedicated to helping you connect with your local florist. When you select any arrangement on our website, you instantly are connected with the closest florist in your area. You can also use our handy florist finder to find your florist directly! Either way, we encourage you to use a real florist; it’s the best deal for you and your community!

It’s Christmas today at FSN! Everyone is dressed in their best and are beaming with holiday spirit! We had fun, played Christmas games, but most importantly ate LOTS of FOOD! There are Christmas trees around every corner and everyone seems to be in a good mood.
Check out our photos below: [Read more…]

This article was contributed by guest author, Joel Houston with the help of Micheal Mancinelli, from Flowers Plus in Charlotte NC. Charlotte is a very traditional city, and the wave of contemporary elegance is just starting to catch on. Flowers Plus is on the foreground of this movement, so Flower Shop Network invited them to share their holiday experiences with us.

This season brings lots of holiday parties, and flowers certainly play a very special role. At Flowers Plus, we couldn’t be more excited. This year, we have had the opportunity to showcase our design work, along with other top florists in Charlotte NC, at Holiday House 2010 which benefits local medical charities.

We were selected for the prominent position of the upstairs foyer, which featured a sixteen foot wide French doorway that leads to the main balcony, located on the front of the home. We chose to place the main Christmas tree for the family in this room.

The theme for this holiday event was “Dazzling“, and we dazzled with a Christmas tree completely decorated with fresh flowers. Everyone was talking about how beautiful and different it was to have the tree decorated with fresh flowers. It was all the rage!

Fresh Flower Christmas Tree Decorations

This year, one of the hottest Christmas colors we’ve seen is a vivid, apple green. To bring out this color, we used beautiful Dendrobium orchid sprays, with fragrant ‘Casa Blanca’ lilies, star-of-Bethlehem, hot-pink heather and blushing, ‘Porcelina’ roses. We also used these in a large, holiday floral arrangement at the top of the stairs to compliment the tree.

Holiday Flower Arrangement Matching The Fresh Flower Christmas Tree

The trend at Flowers Plus this year is refined elegance — bold, monochromatic flower arrangements that are very lush and full in contemporary containers. However, traditional Christmas floral designs with our special touch, are always available as well. We offer a wide variety of fresh flowers and evergreens. Bold Amaryllis in white, red and crimson, fragrant paper whites, ‘Casa Blanca’ lilies, bells-of-Ireland, ‘Charlotte’ roses, star-of-Bethlehem, calla lilies and orchids are just a few of the many varieties we offer here at our Charlotte flower shop to make your holiday season special.

When using high-end products, it sets an elegant tone that so many look forward to this time of year, and it really just makes everyone feel special. Flowers are a luxury and allow each person to make a luxurious statement about themselves and their individual style.

Whether you’re in Charlotte, or as far away as Butte, Montana, elegant floral arrangements make the perfect accompaniment to your holiday decor.

Happy Holiday’s to everyone from the Staff at Flowers Plus.

If you’re a florist with a great story or neat idea you’d like to share, contact us at social@flowershopnetwork.com with your ideas, to find out how to become a guest writer for the Bloomin’ Blog.

Are you tired of the traditional red and green we see every year at this time? You’re not alone. Many people are opting for a more quirky Christmas look. This year, opt for the Glitz & Glam Christmas!

For this outrageous look, channel your inner child and go wild and crazy when selecting your Christmas decorations and ornaments. Pick bright and playful contemporary colors like hot pink and electric blue. Use over-sized Christmas ornaments and trendy Christmas tree picks to take your look to the next level (literally).

Glitter, glitter, glitter! Everything on your Glitz & Glam Christmas tree should be sparkly and youthful. This is a great look for anyone who wants something more fun and contemporary this Christmas.

The Glitz & Glam Christmas is the perfect holiday theme for teens, college girls, or the gal who’s just young at heart. Go beyond the Christmas tree and decorate your house with all of the fun of the Glitz & Glam style. Have your florist create an amazing Christmas wreath with all of your favorite wild-child colors: hot pink, electric blue, neon green, etc.

Imagine the Glitz & Glam Christmas party: bright colors, playful lights, and the wildest Christmas decor you can think of~! Use over-sized, glittery ornaments and feathery boas for great mantel decor — don’t forget the colorful stockings!! If you are throwing a dinner party, have your florist create a fun, contemporary Christmas centerpiece that’s sure to set your glamorous mood.

If you’ve followed FSN on Twitter or Facebook you should know one thing – the people of Flower Shop Network like to PARTY!

Maybe it’s one of our 5 trees, and 40 different stockings? Or it could just be the giant disco ball we have over all the offices? Whatever it is, I am glad this is my work home. It really feels like a family here and I think that’s why I love it so much! The Christmas lights all throughout the building give the entire atmosphere a festive glow you can only find during the holidays, and if I can’t be at home I am really glad I am here. I’m sure you will see it to when you take a look at these photos!